Recipes

Red Onion Pickle

makes 2 cups

A pickle like this is so easy and good to have on hand. You could add pickled red onion to sandwiches and salads (try them with beets), use them to garnish tacos or pinto beans with queso cotija. Serve these pink pickles as a condiment to grilled cheese sandwiches, and use them to brighten the pear and cheese salads of fall.

Make a point of pickling summer’s torpedo and ruby red onions, which are sweet and mild. Choose apple cider vinegar for a sweeter pickle, or white wine vinegar for a snappier one.

Briefly steeping the onions in boiling water softens their bite and their texture. For a crisper effect, put the onions in a colander before pouring the boiling water over them.

Ingredients

• 1 pound red onions
• 2 quarts boiling water
• 1 cup white wine, champagne or apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• several pinches salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 10 black peppercorns, lightly crushed
• 4 whole allspice berries
• 1 small dried red chile
• marjoram or thyme branches

Thinly slice the onions into rounds or half moons. Use your fingers to break up the slices and separate the rounds into rings. Put the onions in a large bowl and pour over the boiling water. Drain onions after 2 minutes. Put onions into a bowl with the remaining ingredients. Cool to room temperature, then cover onions and refrigerate. Pickled red onions will keep for 2 weeks.

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